Process for scouring of fibrous material



w. A. MEYER PROCESS FOR SCOURING F FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed sept. a, 1921 Feb. 24. 1925.

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Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

#UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

'WILHELM MEYER, OF HEBSFELD, GERMANY, ASSIGN'OR, v:BY MESNE ASSIGN- miN'rs, To N. v. AmmmENE cnnmsclm PMDUKTENHANDEL, Nm'nnnmNns; n conromTIoN or THE NETHERLANDs.

or HAGUE,

PROCESS FOB SCOUBNG 0F IIIIIBRUSA MATERIAL.

Application led September.

instance wool or similar material with the l aid of organic solvents. The known methods of fat extraction have not proved practlcal. They generally require too much solvent .1n comparison with vthe weight of thematerial to be treated so that the loss of. solventsis excessive. None of the known scouring methods ensures an absolutely uniform scouring of the material. Almost all fibrous material comprises knots and clots of libres and dirt into which the solvent can penetrate only with difficult so that they are scoured much more slow y than the loose bres. The material must therefore be submit te'd for a comparatively long time to the actlon of the solvent if an approximately unlform securing has to be effected from which the economy of the method suiers. There remains usually too much solvent in the fibrous material even after the scouring so that much time is required to free the material from this solvent. The known extraction 'methods further do not take into account sufciently the peculiarityof the material.

'Ihe loose elastic textile bre permits of a thorough and uniform scouring and drying in a very short time if the working method is carried through according to this invention in the manner which will be hereinafter described and if for instance the apparatus is used which will be also hereinafter described.

As the fat is only thinly distributed upon the loose fibrous material it will be suiicient if, in order to separate the fat from the material, the spread out material is s, 1921. serial No. 499,302.

moistened with the solvent for a short time.' If the moistening is effected b means of a strong jet of solvent a consi erable part of the mechanical impurities can be washed out at the same time. The fibrous material could further be exposed to a strong pressure in order to crush the knots and clots so that a rapid and uniform impregnation of the material and consequently a rapid and uniform scouring is ensured. The fat containing solution can further be pressed out of the fibrous material by. strong pressure, whereby the process of scouring and finally that of 'drying could be accelerated also.

In the accompanying drawing an apparatus for carrying out the improved process s illustrated in vertical section.

The loose fibrous material is fed into the apparatus through the charging hopper a with feeding rol ers b, b to drop upon the conveyor band c of fine Wire mesh to be 'moved towards the right hand side of the apparatus. The conveyor band c is guided over rollers d, d. During the conveying organic solvent is squirted upon the material e to be scoured from perforatedtubes fl- 2 and g1-g2 arranged above and below said conveyor .0. rl`he solvent drops from the material upon conveyor 0 into the collectors h1 and h2 after having 'dissolved the fat and washed off a considerable'part of the dirt. From the collectors h1 and k2 the solvent is pumped again as by pumps u', u2, respectively into the perforated tubes f1, g1 and f2, g2 respectively. Coarse impurities are intercepted by the sieves il and z', and the heavy dirt particles collect upon the bottom of the receptacles h1 and h2 from which they can be purged by means of the cocks 7c, and 7a2.

rIhe material to be scoured is delivered from the conveyor net o to a pair of cylin- -ders Z, Z, where it is compressed. After the pressing the same procedure is repeated; the material is received by the conve or net m, guided over rollers n, n, sprinkle with solvent from the tubes f8, f., and g3, g, and coned, after it ha been compressed again by ve cy inders o,l o into the drying chamber. Re-

ceptacles I low the conveyor band m.

Pumps u, u* convey the solvent from these l scouri 'rial vent only for a short part of its travel and receptacles to the tubes f', g' and f, g respectively.

The material is treated successively from the tubes f1, and f, and g 9 and g, and f, and with t e solvent w ich contains gradu y less and less fat accordiglto the contents of receptacles h, to h. ese re'- ceptacles are arranged in such al manner that the receptacle h, is situated at the highest lane, the receptacle h, bein situated at the owest plane. The levels o the solvent 1n the receptacles h, to h, can be regulated by the admission of solvent through the supgleyEl pipe p with the aid of the overflow tu ,-g.. The sediments collecting` upon the bottoms of receptacles hq--h can be removed from time to time with the aid of the outflow ipe r and the valves s, to s, 1n said pipe. 1th the aid of the valves 1v1-k, in the connecting tubes and of the valves .s1- 8, in the outflow ipe the receptacles hq-h can be tem rarlly em tied into special reservoirs. e fat whic has been extracted is separated from the solvent by tiltration and distillation. The apparatus is enclosed in a casing t which has an opening only at the point where the material 1s supilied, name y between the feeding cylinders l, b. At the outlet for the material the apparatus is airtightly connected with the drying chamber, not shown in the drawings. 'llie drying is effected in a continuousl or intermittently workina paratus whic is it builtin accordance w e principle of the dry' apparatuses which are usually employe for drying textile libres. The solvent is recovered from the air sucked ol from the drying chamber by one of the well known methods.

According to the working method which has ust been described a thorough scourin can eected as the material to be scoure is washed finally only with a solvent which contains only very little fat, this solvent being substantlally all pressed out. The mateto beY scoured is moistened with the solevery quantity4 of solvent is utilized always until it is absolutely saturated with fat whereby the result is obtained, that the quantity f solvent in use is considerably smaller in proportion to the quantity of material to be scoured than is the case with the methods hitherto applied. It is impossi le that the material to be scoured should get entangled or entwined as it is never e to a rotating motion or moved towards the material fed in. A largleiart of the mechanical impurities is was e oli? by the s rinkling'with the solvent whereb the f er treatment is reatly faclhtated. The clots and lumps whic are always found in the asma material mamma time pressure cylinders at the middle of the apparatlus and remoeved lat once by mvent sotatarenew co' or together is prevented, tgglrt being easily washed of the libres. By conveying the material in a thin layer it is easy to free the material from the solvent after the scouri so that the small quantit of solvent whi remaiis in the dlmater'iam can be ealso remove ver ra i so t a great' cienc of the met odlis eiisured. y

It is immaterial what kind of solvent be used for this improved scouring method as even easily combustible liquids can be used when certain precautions are observed. The fat and the normal content of water of the material to be scoured revent the production of electricity from riction.

Now what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following 1. An improved rocess for scouring ibrous material and t e like, which process consists in conveying the material in a thin layer, sprinkling the same with a nonueous solvent in such a manner, that the iquid dripping off is made to traverse the material repleatedly in circulation, and submitting t e material during the process of sprink ing with solvent, to pressure for the purpose of crushing knots and clots in the librous material and continuin the sprinklinfr operation on the materia after such crus ing step, substantially as described.

2. An improved rocess for scouring fibrous material and t e like, which process consists in conveying the material in athn layer, sprinkling the same with a solvent in such a manner, that the liquid dripping oil is made to traverse the material repeatedly in circulation in counter current and submitting the material durin the process to pressure for the purpose o crushing knots and clots in the fibrous material and continuing the sprinkling with solvent after the saidbp'essure treatment, substantially as descri 3. An improved rocess for scouring .fibrous material and t e like, which process consists in conveying the material in a thin layer, sprinkling the same with an organic solvent for fats, in su'ch a manner, that the liquid dripping olf is made to traverse the material repeatedly in circulation in counter current and submitting the material `during the process to ressure repeatedly for the purpose of crushing knots and clots in the fibrous material and continuing the sprinkling after each of the crushing steps, substantially as described.

4. An improved rocess for scouring ibrous material and t e like, which process consists in conveying the material in `a thin layer upon an endless conveying sieve, sprinkling the same with a solvent in such a llO manner, that the 1i uid dripping from successive portions in t e length of such travel is collected separately, and causing such separate batches .of solvent to traverse the material repeatedly in circulation in counter current and submitting the material during the process at least once, between sucture this 23rd cessive washing steps, to the -action of mechanical pressure for the purpose of crushin knots and clots in the brous material, su stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signa- IdIag of Au 1921. WIL LM A OLFMEYER. 

